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Casey & Zeke Halloween 2014 - Alyssa

October 31st, 2014

Like most of you might know, I'm not a great fan of Halloween, but that's no excuse not to participate at a Casey & Zeke challenge, right? So, here is my story. Still not sure about it but I did my best to fulfill my prompt. Hope you will like it.

Title: Alyssa

Fandom: The Faculty = Zeke / Casey (no pairing)

Rating: PG13

Summery: about nightmares, vampirs ... and Zeke

Disclaimer: It's all Fan-Fiction - of course I don't own The Faculty nor the actors - I've just borrowed them for a bit fun

“Come on in! I need to show you something.”

Casey followed Zeke into the living room, curiously looking around. He had never been here before, not in the house, only in Zeke's garage. It looked surprisingly tidy, not what he had expected. Everyone knew, Zeke was living here alone since his parents had left him ages ago to jet around the world. What kind of parents were they? Even if Zeke tried to act as if he didn't care, sometimes Casey had the feeling that he missed them. That he was even more alone than Casey.

“I did found it on the attic between the other stuff. Isn't it stunning?”

Casey turned to the fireplace, his eyes fall onto the painting on the mantelpiece, an antique portrait of a young lady, it looked a bit displaced between the modern couch and the TV rack with the flat-screen. But it wasn't that what outright shocked him.

“Good god!”

Within a split of a second various pictures were rushing through his mind. Scaring, breathtaking memories. Broken bits of his nightmares. No, not nightmares. It was the truth. A truth, Zeke didn't know, though he instinctively felt attracted by this picture. But he, Casey, did remember now.

xxx

Herrington, four days ago.

„Shit!“

Casey cursed silently when he noticed one tire of his bike loosing air. He was on the way back home after the chess club. It was still early in the evening, but a cold, rainy day, not long and it would be dark. Sighing he stopped at the roadside and inspected the damage. He would have to repair it provisionally, just to be able to make the last miles up to the Sunrise Avenue where he was living. Of course, he could call his dad but that would only end with a severe lecture about parental rules. Yes, they had told him more than once not to take the small, barely used back road but to stay on the main road where it was more safe. They still treated him like a baby and not like a senior highschool student who would go to College next year. Maybe he would even get grounded over the weekend.

Casey smirked. Well, that wouldn't be the worst because it would keep him from going to Delilah's stupid Halloween Party. He had never been a friend of Halloween and to spend the evening partying with a group of giggling, screaming girls and guys who won't stop forcing that with stupids pranks wasn't very tempting. But of course, Delilah had swept aside his halfhearted protest. She was used to it to get what she wanted and the last she was willing to listen to was her boyfriend.

Boyfriend? Casey was smart enough to know that she just used him. After the incident with MaryBeth everyone called him a hero and Delilah longed for all the fame he got. But the fame started to vanish and Delilah's interest in him too. It was only a matter of time ...

Annoyed about himself he shook off these thoughts. At the moment he had other problems to deal with. The damage at the bike was worse than expected, the moisture and cold started to creep into his body. He finally gave in, pushed the screw-wrench back into his backpack and looked down the road. A stones throw away he had seen a telephone, he should go back and make the overdue call. Better to deal with his father than lying in bed for the whole weekend with a stupid cold.

But before he did reach the next corner suddenly there was a voice behind him.„Looks like you can need some help.“

He almost jumped, turned around and stared at a young guy, a stranger he had never met before, only a bit older then he was. Under other circumstances Casey would have called him good-looking; slender, short, blond hair, seducing lips, a beard. Casey liked beards, it looked sexy. The guy did wear tight, dark jeans, a white shirt, a tie … a tie? This was so totally displaced here. Casey wondered where he did come from and what was he doing here, on this lonely road, during a rainy evening. The guy didn't even wear a jacket despite the cold and the rain. Strange was an understatement.

„No, thank you,“ he murmured.„I'm fine.“

A smile sneaked onto the lips, the dark eyes seemed to turn into something glowering, scaring, dangerous. Casey alarm-bells shrilled louder though he tried to stay calm. He was overreacting. He was tired and drenched with rain. The guy had noticed his miserable state and had offered help, it was stupid to deny it just because his fantasy was running wild once again. But when the guy stretched out a hand he jumped back.

„I've already called my Dad,“ he said with barely hidden panic in his voice.„He will be here every moment.“

„I guess this is a lie!“The guy stepped closer, his fingers dug like claws into his shoulder. No way out. It was ridiculous, wasn't it? So he had survived an alien invasion only to die here, killed by … what? This guy was not human. „What are you afraid of? If you let it happen it will be over in an instant.“

He bend forward. His mouth opened. White teeth, long, sharp … Casey stared at them and felt the urge to laugh. It was like in one of this bad movies, the moment before the vampire did bite the young girl and the hero came to rescue her. Just … he knew it was real and no one would come to his rescue.

Suddenly he felt comfortable warmth rushing into his body when the guy … the vampire … put his hands around his head, almost caressing and pulled it back. His throat was lying open now, burning eyes were resting on it. Then the vamp got nearer, bend forward, hot lips were touching Casey's skin. A tongue was dancing over it, as if he wanted to enjoy the moment before. Casey shuddered. The panic vanished. He had never been touched like that before. It felt good. He groaned slightly, pulled his head back even more, waiting for the sharp teeth to dig into his flesh.

Only a sharp stitch, he wanted to cry but then he felt the blood rushing out of his body when the vampire started to suck eagerly, so hungry and only Casey could give him what he needed to survive. The pain ebbed away, the world started to spin around, quick and quicker. He was falling but someone did hold him. It was okay … okay …

Pictures and thoughts were rushing through his mind. His grandma, she died last year and for a moment he wondered if he would meet her again. A though which made him smile. His parents, would they be shocked or more annoyed about his death? He had always knows that he was not the son they had dreamed about, not a sports ass, not the school speaker and that he had saved the world from an alien invasion hadn't been very helpful too. He was a geek, a smart one, but a geek. His schoolmates: Stokley, Stan, good friends. Delilah, his first kiss. Even Gabe, how often he had given him hard times. It didn't matter anymore. And Zeke.

Zeke. He wanted to hold on to this memory. The guy who meant more for him then anyone else. Never before he had admit it, not even to himself. Now it would stay a secret forever …

xxx

Everything happened in an instant, all Casey did realize were blurred movements and noises. The vamp was teared away from him by a small, white figure, stumbled back, growled guttural.

„I've told you not to touch him!“

Casey stiffened when he recognized a female voice. How was this possible? The vamp was big and strong … and hungry … you never should get near to a predator when it tries to satisfy its hunger. The woman had taken him by surprise but this would change soon enough. She would have to pay with her life for her try to help him.

He wanted to cry, he wanted to run and get help for her. But he was paralyzed, still not able to move, was he awake, was he dreaming? Was he still alive? Casey was not sure about anything at all.

The vampire stared at the figure in front of him, his eyes flickering red now.„What do think you are, Alyssa? You are just a cocotte and you failed. So don't tell me what to do.“

„You are young, Kevin, you still need to learn.“Her voice was surprisingly calm.„Maybe I'm just a fallen mate but you know, one word of mine and he will chase you away. How long will you be able to survive?“

„He gets weak. One day, soon enough, he will be gone and I will be the leader of the Clan. Then you will have to pay for all you've done.“

One blink … and he was gone. The woman turned to Casey, green-brown eyes were the last he noticed before he finally passed out.

xxx

Slowly he started to came around, he needed a moment take in the surrounding. The small bed he was lying onto, the window at the wall, the curtains closed, he couldn't say how much time had passed, if it was already dark outside. The room was dimly lighted, sparsely furnished, the walls gray and without any decoration. A strange place, not a comfortable home.

Casey groaned slightly. His body felt stiff, his mouth dry. When he swallowed a sharp pain was rushing through him. And the memory hit him: this guy on the street, the vampire, he had bitten him. Hesitating he reached for his throat, expected to feel dried blood, but his skin felt warm and smooth as ever. Had all this been just a hallucination? The guy … was he a murderer? A rapist? What had happened to him? How did he come here? There had been a woman. She had saved him! Or not? Casey shuddered. Had she been real? The guy, he had been strong and big, she … had looked like an angel, unearthly. Maybe … he was dead? Or … not human anymore? How do one feel as a vampire?

A soft hand touched his cheek, tore him out of his confusing thoughts.„You are awake.“

He forced himself to turn around into the direction of the voice. There she was again, sitting on a chair beside his bed. In a special way pretty. Her white-green dress looked old fashioned but it fits to her. Like the long brown hair, falling over her small shoulders, the wonderful eyes, hazelnut brown with a mysterious touch of green. They looked friendly but told about a deep sadness. Casey relaxed. He couldn't sense any danger coming from her.

“Take this.”She passed a glass of water to him.„You need to drink.“Carefully she helped him to sit up and held the glass onto his lips. When he hesitated she nodded to him reassuring.„Don't worry. He didn't cause any damage.”

Casey took a gulp, then a second one. She was right, the water was cold and refreshing, it soothed his sore throat and finally he was able to talk again.

„Who you are?”

„My name is Alyssa.“

„I know. But … what you are?“

Her eyes changed into a dark red for a second.„You know what I am.“

Casey shook the head, still not willing to give it a voice. It felt so unreal. But aliens had been unreal too, until they turned up on earth in the form of a shy, pretty highschool student.„Vampires aren't real,“ he protested faintly.

„Vampires are living on this earth for centuries. People know about our existence but they refuse to accept it because they are afraid of everything they can't understand.

Don't be afraid, Casey, you are save. I could never hurt you.”

He coughed surprised.„You know my name?”

„I know all about you.“

„Why? What do you want?“

„You did save my son's life. I owe you.”

„I … what?”Casey eyed her suspiciously. She looked pretty young, just supposing she had a child, it would still be a baby.

„You are Casey Connor, aren't you? The boy who did fight against an alien, alone, because all others were gone. Ezekiel was one of the last, but he failed.”

Casey swallowed, cold was creeping back into his body.„Zeke,“ he whispered.

„Yes, I guess, that's like you call him. I call him Ezekiel.”

“That's ridiculous!”Casey forced himself to stand up from the bed though he still felt shaky. He had almost started to believe that all this could be true but enough was enough.“What is this, an early Halloween prank? You try to scare the shit out of me? Well, you should look for a better story. You are so not Zeke's mom. Zeke is nineteen years old, you are barely old enough to be his older sister.”

“The age didn't matter for a vampire. I can turn into an old woman if you want me to.”Casey blinked stunned. He couldn't say how it had happened. But the young woman was gone, an old wife was sitting in front of him, with gray hair, wrinkles on her face, small lips, the eyes still brown-green but tired as if they had seen too much. Then the spook was over, Alyssa was back. Casey was surprised to see a slight smile on her face.“But I prefer to stay like I this.”

Casey stared at her with narrowed eyes, still fighting with his various feelings.„Zeke is not a vampire,” he finally said but his heart was up to his mouth.

To his relieve she shook her head.“No, he's not. He's human though he carries vampire blood within him. But he never did the Joining Ceremony.”

“The what?”

She kept quiet for a moment, watched him until he felt ready to jump up and shake the truth out of her.

“I guess you deserve to hear the whole story,” she finally said.“Female vampires are born as mates, the continuance of our race is the only meaning of our life. The male descendants, though, are human first, they grow up like every child in the human world. But when they are fourteen years old they are supposed to come back to the Clan, newborns for a year. It ends with a ritual, the Joining Ceremony. You can call this the birthday of a vampire. After that there is no way back. For the rest of their days … we are not immortal, that's just a myth but we can get old, very old … they are cursed to a dark, lonely life.”

“And Zeke was not willing to do this step,” Casey asked.He didn't even feel surprised Zeke was like that, wasn't he? The rebel who didn't care about rules and orders, he hated it when someone tried to tell him what to do.

“It was not his decision, he doesn't even know about it.”Alyssa smiled again, a sad smile and suddenly Casey felt sorry for her. Maybe she was a vampire but for sure she was not a monster.“I was not able to let him go. He was such a great child. Smart. Curious. When he did laugh it meant all for me. It is the biggest betrayal for a vampire, I knew about the consequences. But I did it anyway, the night before his fourteenth birthday I left him, I went back to the Clan alone.”

“What kind of consequences?”

“Cast out of the Clan, it's like a death sentence. You can try to survive alone but soon enough the loneliness will drive you crazy. Vampires are not born to live alone.”

“But you are still here.”

“I'm bound with Henry, he's the leader of the Ohio Clan for more than 100 years. He advocated me, so they showed mercy. But I'm not allowed to have more children. Ezekiel will stay his only son. When Henry dies one day there will be no heir. A war will break out and a lot vampires will die because I failed.”

“You didn't fail,” Casey protested.“To keep her child save is what a mom is supposed to do.”

“I was not supposed to feel like a mom. We give them birth, we grow them up … and we let them go where the time is there. We are not born to give love to our breed. Ezekiel and me, we were close, closer than it was good for us. When he was a little boy I did read to him every evening. He was sitting on my lap, his head rested on my shoulder until he finally fall asleep. Only then I put him to bed. His favorite book was 'Peter Pan', he always talked about it to visit Neverland one day.

He did grow up much too quick but I will always remember him as this little boy. I couldn't let it happen that he goes into the darkness, he deserves to live in a world full of light.”

Casey could see tears sparkling in her eyes and he wondered how hard it had been for her to leave her fourteen years old son behind. A boy she loved so much that she did stand up against everything she knew to protect him. With the prospect of an uncertain future for both of them. And how hard it had been for Zeke to realize that his mom had left him and would never come back. He refused to talk about his parents, Casey had asked him once and Zeke had snapped at him: 'Not your business.' He was angry about his mother, who could blame him for that, but he didn't know what she had done for him.

“You should go and tell him the truth,” he murmured.“Zeke is smart, I'm sure he will be able to deal with it. It's so much harder for him to think that you have left him without any reason.”

“That's impossible.” Alyssa shook the head.“I know, it's not easy for him, he feels that he's different, he's afraid to let people come close to him. But I can't help him. I can't be a part of his life, not without putting him into danger. Getting near to a vampire might wake up his sleeping genes.”

Casey stared at her, suddenly feeling shocked.“You mean … it's possible that he will turn into a vampire one day?”

“I hope not. But there is no guarantee, it's beyond our nature to stay human forever.”

No! No! Casey was not willing to accept that. Zeke would not turn into a monster like Kevin, cold, unpredictable and merciless. He shook his head fiercely.“You don't know him. He is strong. He will fight against it.”

Slowly Alyssa grabbed for his hand, hold it almost tenderly.“Help him, Casey, will you,” she said.“He shouldn't have to face all this alone.”

He blinked, suddenly feeling helpless.“The last Zeke wants is my help,” he murmured.“We have barely talked since weeks. I'm afraid there is not much we have in common.”

“Look for a way.”She squeezed his hand, her voice almost begging now.“You care for him, I can feel that. Protect him, he needs someone in his life who is able to understand.”Before he could find an answer she suddenly let him go, stepped back, her eyes full of sorrow.“I'm sorry,” she whispered.“I have no right to ask you for that.”

“It's okay, I could ...”

“No, Casey, it's his fate, not yours.”She shook her head.“I put the existence of a lot vampires in danger with my act but I won't destroy also your future. Go back into your life and forget what is happened today. It's about time. Close your eyes. You will wake up in front of your house and everything will feel like a bad dream.”

He almost jumped back when she bent forward, for a second he expected her to open the mouth and bury sharp teeth into his throat. Then he felt her lips on his cheek, an almost fleetingly kiss … and the world started to spin around.

xxx

Friday. Casey felt jumpy all over the day, was barely able to follow the lessons at school. Not that anyone took notice of it. It was Halloween, no one seemed to care much about school today, the only topics were parties and costumes, the guys played tricks on the girl who yelled and giggled and even the teachers had decided to overlook this behavior and to play along.

Everyone was in a good mood. Only Casey wished the day would be over already. He did spend the lunchtime outside on the bleachers though it actually was much too cold and humid. All he wanted was to escape this madhouse, the stupid pranks and talks about monster and vampires. The words alone gave him the creeps. He knew it was stupid because all these horrible creatures were just a myth. But he felt ready to yell at them that they better should be more careful with what they did and said.

Since some days he had nightmares again. Not about aliens this time. There was this dark, creepy guy who tried to grab him, a white lady who kissed him. And Zeke … with burning red eyes. He tried to accept this dreams, like he had done before, because his shrink had told him that nightmares weren't as bad as people thought because it was a sign that he slowly came to terms with his trauma. But what kind of trauma had caused the dreams this time?

He looked up when someone stepped closer to the bleachers. Zeke with two girls, Jenny and … Marie? Delilah couldn't stand them, but Del actually couldn't stand any girl who was able to arouse the boys interest, she wanted to be the queen everywhere and every time

“Zeke,” said Jenny and even if Casey couldn't see her face he just knew, that she licked her lips seducing, let her eyelashes flutter.“But you need to come to my party tonight. My parents are not at home. We're gonna have a lot fun. Remember my birthday? You and me … the whirlpool in the garden ...”

She giggled when Zeke bent forward to whisper something into her ear. Casey felt his heart racing. He knew Zeke well enough to know that all his sweet-talk and flirting didn't mean anything serious. No need to be jealous. But his alarm clocks were ringing, panic was rushing through his body.

Only once in his life he had felt like this: The moment when Mary Beth entered the school's area, a smile on her lips, her book bag under her arm, when she asked him for the way to the principal's office. He narrowed his eyes and stared over to Zeke and the girls. Maybe they were acting like stupid bitches but he knew them since years. He had even visited the kindergarten together with Jenny. They were no danger. But something was going on here, something horrible would happened tonight. And Zeke was involved in it.

The boy laughed.“I will think about,” he said and kissed her cheek fleetingly.“See you later.”

Casey bit his lip until he did taste his blood, just to suppress the panicked outcry.

xxx

He actually couldn't say why he was waiting for him at the parking lot after school. Zeke smirked when he noticed him beside the GTO.

“Hey. What are you doing here? Missed the bus? Need a ride home?”

Casey shook his head, still not sure what to do next. Zeke would only laugh at him. He was like that, he wasn't afraid for nothing and no-one; he faced every situation and did what needed to be done. But he was not prepared for this night.“Will you go to the party tonight?”

“Oh!”The astonishment on Zeke's face turned into a wide grin.“I get it. What is it this time? Monster? Daemons? Vampires?”

Casey shuddered.“You don't need to believe me,” he said and he knew his voice was almost trembling with desperation.“But, please Zeke, don't leave the house, it would put you into danger.”

“Casey, you are a geek!”Zeke smirked.“But don't worry, I will go nowhere tonight. I've started to clear out the attic yesterday, a good deal of work.”

Casey blinked confused.“The attic,” he repeated.

“My mother was crazy about antiques, no market or auction was safe from her. She did spend a lot of money … then she stored the stuff on the attic. Don't ask, she was odd.”Zeke shrugged. “But she's not here anymore and I need more room for my lab. I hope to sell her shit for a good price.”

The relief was immense. As long as Zeke would stay at home he was save.“Can I help you? Maybe I could take pics.”Just to be sure that he didn't decide otherwise.

The Merriot's, oh, yeah. Delilah's party, she had enjoyed every moment of preparation, looking for deco, selecting the music, talking with the catering service … money was not a question for her, all she wanted was the most exciting party in town. Not to mention the costume. She had decided to be Cleopatra for one night. Of course he should be her Caesar... at least until she saw him in the robe of the roman commander.

“That doesn't work,” she had sighed.“Caesar was a big, heroic guy, respected and honored. You are so not like him. We need to look for something else.”

Casey pulled his face when he thought about their fight yesterday. He hadn't slept well, his nightmares had tortured him again and he had felt worn out, so maybe it hadn't been all her fault. But when she showed up with this ridiculous horror-clown-costume he did freak out.

“Well, I belong to the other half,” he said and smirked.“I won't go. We did break up yesterday. Del says I'm a pathetic looser.”

“She's a bitch!”Suddenly Zeke grinned wide.“Okay, come by tonight. We're gonna have our own party. Some food, a beer, a movie. A comedy or action. Nothing scary, though. The world outside is scaring enough.”

Casey chuckled, for the first time since days he was able to relax. He could feel it, Halloween didn't pose a threat for Zeke anymore.

xxx

“Come on in! I need to show you something.”

Casey followed Zeke into the living room, secretly looking around. He had never been here before, only in Zeke's garage. The house looked surprisingly tidy, not what he had expected. Everyone knew, Zeke was living here alone since his parents had left him ages ago to yet around the world. What kind of parents were they? Even if Zeke tried to act as if he didn't care, sometimes Casey had the feeling that he missed them.

“I did found it on the attic between the other stuff. Isn't it stunning?”

Casey turned to the fireplace, his eyes fall onto the painting on the mantelpiece, the antique portrait of a young lady, and he gasped shocked.

“Good god!”

Within a split of a second various pictures were rushing trough his mind. Scaring, breathtaking memories. Broken bits of his nightmares. No, not nightmares. It was the truth. A truth, Zeke didn't know, though he instinctively felt attracted by this picture. But he, Casey, did remember now.

“I don't get it why she did hide it on the attic,” Zeke said.“It fits perfectly on the mantlepiece, don't you think so?”

Zeke! Casey glanced at him, the same brown hair, the same eyes, the same smile … he did look so much like her. And even if Zeke didn't know how close he was to her he had felt attracted from her portrait.

“Yes!”Casey smiled. The shock was gone, suddenly he felt good. Everything was like it should be.“I guess, she would like that. It's a warm and comfy place.”

Zeke laughed.“So, how do you like your pizza? Mushrooms? Salami?”

“Pineapple and ham, please.”

“Oh, sweet tooth!”Still laughing Zeke went over to the kitchen to call the pizza service.

Casey turned back to the portrait and eyed the young woman. Or should he better say: the vampire? Because this was her true self no matter what she looked like. And Zeke was her son and carried her legacy in himself. But the thought was actually not frightening. She was not a monster, she was able to feel love and grief. She had been acting like a mother. She had to leave her son to keep him save.

But Zeke wasn't as alone as she thought. The very first moment he had seen him he had known it. There was a bound between them. He could always feel it when Zeke was in danger. He did save him from an alien. He was here to make sure that he didn't change his mind and left the house. Dark creature were out there tonight.

“It's his fate, not yours,” Alyssa had told him before she did send him back into his life. But she hadn't been able to take away his instincts.

“You were wrong,” whispered Casey and smiled at her.“His fate and mine are bound together. And whatever will happen to him, I will be by his side.”

It didn't surprise him in the slightest that the young woman on the portrait smiled back.

Nicely creepy! I like the idea of Zeke's mother being a vampire and passing the potential on to Zeke. It's good that Casey was attacked, but saved by Alyssa, so he knows what threatens Zeke and will be able to do all that he can to save him.

Thank you so much for reading - I'm glad that you did like this story. I liked to play around a bit with the vampire-myth. Yes, it's good Casey knows the truth by now - of course he will have an eye on Zeke from now on ... or two ;)

This is such a fantastic tale, with a very surprising and excellent use of the vampire mythology in Zeke's heritage! I was not expecting this at all when Casey was left stranded in the side road. The encounter with the hungry vampire was menacing and erotic, Casey has not had this much male attention yet, even though he would pay for it with his life. when the young woman intervenes to save him, I could not imagine what an impact she would have on his whole life. It all makes sense now that Zeke was seemingly abandoned but that turns out to be the greatest act of love his mother could do. I'm sorry that Zeke doesn't know this as I'm sure it would help him realise that he is worthy of being loved. It was great to hear about the Clans and the Joining Ceremony. This seems like a really enlightened vampire clan who allow this element of choice for their children. But it seems their treatment of women vamps is very old fashioned. I wish Alyssa could find some freedom and be with her son. But now she knows Casey is watching over him. The tension built when Casey was sure that going to the Halloween party might raise Zeke's vamp genes. He has persuaded him to a safer course but there will be so many challenges for them. This all makes me really curious to meet Henry, and see if his dad wants Zeke to join the family business! Maybe a future sequel? Thank you so much for writing this brilliant fic! xxx

Thank you so much for reading - and for your wonderful comment **hugs**

I'm glad that you did like the story, the moment I found the prompt I knew what I would make out of it ... I was just unsure if the muse would be willing to bring me through the story.

Yes, it is sad that Zeke doesn't know the truth about his mother and the reason why it is impossible for her to be with him. But now he will have Casey by his side and this will hopefully make his life easier. Maybe, one day, Casey will tell him about his mother ... and maybe he will find a way that they at least can communicate in which way ever. We all know our Casey, don't we? He will find a way when he wants to ;)

A sequel ... well, I guess not, but I'm sure Henry is not a monster too. He's the leader of the clan, I guess it would have been easy for him to go and bring Zeke back even against the will of Alyssa. But he took her side though he knew that this means never to get the heir he wants and needs.

Oh, it has taken me a week to read your story! And it is great! I really enjoyed the premise, and I found the characterization of Alyssa compelling and well-rounded. This was really creative, really well done. And I'm sorry it took me so long to let you know!